The University of Alabama at Birmingham achieved a historic milestone in the most recent round of rankings.
The Collat School of Business’ online Master of Science degree in management information systems received UAB’s highest ranking from U.S. News & World Report of No. 3 in the 2025 Best Online Programs, marking one of three programs that ranked in the top 25 this year.
“I am proud to see a UAB online degree receive the university’s highest ranking ever from U.S. News & World Report,” said UAB Provost Janet Woodruff-Borden, Ph.D. “Our programs and degrees continue to be recognized, and it shows how dedicated our distinguished faculty are to providing a world-class education to our students who are both on-campus and learning virtually across the globe.”
The College of Arts and Sciences Master of Criminal Justice degree ranked at No. 24, achieving the highest sub-rank in the state of Alabama for both the faculty credentials and training and peer assessment categories. The Master of Engineering degree from the School of Engineering ranked at No. 49, up three spots from the previous year and marking the first time being ranked in the top 50.
Other notable rankings include:
- The UAB Collat School of Business’ online graduate business degree in accounting ranked No. 19 in Best Online Graduate Business, making it the top-ranked program in Alabama.
- Master of Science in Education from the School of Education and Human Sciences ranked No. 54 for Best Online Graduate Education, securing its spot in the top 20 percent of all ranked online graduate education programs.
- UAB was ranked No. 57 for Best Online Bachelor’s, composed of 13 online bachelor programs, and achieved the highest sub-rank in Alabama for faculty credentials and training.
- The Collat School of Business Master’s in Business Administration landed at No. 65, ranking in the top 20 percent of online MBA programs.
Two UAB programs were listed in the specialty rankings, which are based entirely on responses to the peer assessment survey. The online Bachelor Psychology program in the College of Arts and Sciences ranked at No. 18, an increase of three spots from 2024, and the online bachelor program in business in the Collat School of Business ranked No. 41.
In addition, UAB was ranked in three programs for veterans, including No. 32 for Online Engineering veterans, No. 37 for online MBA veterans, and the online bachelor’s programs that jumped four spots from the 2024 ranking and landed at No. 31.
UAB Online offers 12 online undergraduate programs, 34 online graduate programs, 15 online undergraduate minor programs, and 55 online undergraduate and graduate certificate programs.
USNWR online rankings assessed approximately 1,780 online bachelor’s and master’s degree programs. Undergraduate rankings are based on faculty credentials and training, services and technologies available to students, student engagement, and expert opinion on the academic quality of programs. Graduate rankings look at these credentials combined with student excellence.
Veteran program rankings are determined based on answers from the main online surveys. To be eligible for inclusion, schools must be ranked in the top half of schools, be certified for the GI Bill, and either participate in Yellow Ribbon or be a public institution that charges in-state tuition. They must also have enrolled in what U.S. News determines “a critical mass of students with military backgrounds,” which is defined as 25 students for the Online Bachelor’s survey and 10 for the graduate programs.
The specialty rankings are based entirely on responses to the peer assessment survey. To be eligible for inclusion, a school must have received at least five ratings from peer institutions, have been ranked in the main ranking survey, and had their specialty offering verified through peer assessment or otherwise by U.S. News.
